CHICAGO — With 2.5 seconds remaining the first half, Grayson Allen took a handoff from Trevon Duval and squared up to shoot. Midway between the United Center and Champions Classic logos, Allen was safely into NBA three-point range. Above the extended right arm of Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn, Allen fired and sunk the shot. The buzzer sounded, Allen celebrated with teammates, and No. 1 Duke went to halftime with a 38-34 lead over No. 2 Michigan State.
Even without the buzzer-beater, Allen would have had the most impressive stat line of any player on either team—and among those players were about a half-dozen future first-round NBA draft picks.